Write Introduction to Speech

by Ron Kurtus (2 March 2013)

It is good to start writing a speech with its introduction. This is where you get the attention of the audience and their interest in the subject matter. Then you end the introduction by telling the audience what the speech will be about.

Questions you may have include:

How do you get the attention of the audience?

How do you get their interest?

How do you state what the speech is about?

This lesson will answer those questions.

Get attention

As a speech writer, you want to help the speaker get the attention of the audience.

A common way is with a salutation, where the speaker greets important people in the audience, as well as the audience itself.

An example is when the President of the United States starts the State of the Union address: "Mr. Vice President, Speaker of the House, members of Congress, and the American public..."

Another way of getting the audience's attention is by asking a question:

"Let me ask you a question. How many of you drive too fast?"

This, in turn, leads into getting the interest of the audience.

Get interest

In order to get interest the speech, you must have prepared for this audience and occasion. Then you can make some appropriate comments.

After the salutation, the President may comment on the occasion or on some issues: "The economic outlook of our great nation is good. But we still can make improvements."

If you have written a question for the speaker to ask, you can follow up by stating a problem or concern that will interest the audience.

State what the speaker will talk about

You conclude the introduction by stating what the speaker will talk about in the speech.

"Tonight, I'm going to encourage you to vote for our candidate."

"On this fine occasion, I'm going to tell you some amusing stories about our host."

This will lead into the body and content of the speech.

Summary

Start writing a speech with its introduction, so that you get the attention of the audience and their interest in the subject matter. Then end the introduction by telling the audience what the speech will be about.